NICAR offers new FAA and IRS data

Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. The IRE Journal, Nov/Dec 2003

Two of the most popular databases at the IRE and NICAR Database Library were recently updated.

The FAA Aircraft Registry has now been updated to include 352,914 records of aircraft, from jumbo jets to blimps to puddle-jumpers. The database is a directory of all aircraft registered with the Federal Aviation Administration. Not only can journalists look up a specific aircraft in the case of an accident using its N-number (the number visible on all aircraft), but they also can check ownership of particular type of aircraft, the aircraft owners of a particular city or county, registered aircraft dealers and more.

The Database Library also has just updated its Internal Revenue Service migration data, which now runs from 1992 through 2002. The U.S. Census Bureau compiles the data using personal income tax return information from the IRS. The database allows journalists to track the movement of people and their incomes, in and out of counties.

IRE is offering faster and cheaper delivery by creating a custom Web page for each subscriber, linked to the data for a download. This service is now available for almost all NICAR databases, which will be updated on a monthly basis (the previous quarterly CD shipments will still be available). For more information, go to www.ire.org/datalibrary/.